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FISHING REPORT AND SYNOPSIS: 01/17/2019

Colder weather lately has slowed things down a touch in the Smokies. Thankfully, however, the streams haven't really dropped below 40 degrees so there are always some fish to be found. With a big rain event forecast for this weekend followed by sharply colder temperatures, get out and fish sooner rather than later. Nymphs or streamers are the name of the game this time of year.

On the tailwaters, we are dealing with massive amounts of water That said, while lots of rain this weekend may set us further back, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. The overall trend over the next 1-3 months is for drier conditions which should allow flows to stabilize and at least allow us to get some float trips in.

Musky fishing has been decent as of late. Flows are generally just about perfect on our favorite musky rivers. With cold weather ahead, this is something we'll probably be doing more of...

Photo of the Month: Cold Weather Jaws

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Floating with Southeastern Fly

Nathan Stanaway photo

Backpacking in the Smokies is always an enjoyable experience. I've been looking forward to the opportunity to do so for awhile and couldn't wait to get on some of my favorite water in the Park. Unfortunately the best of plans don't always work out. Due to several factors, we had to cancel the Smokies trip. To salvage the weekend, my cousin Nathan decided to come up to Crossville instead, and we planned on floating the Caney.

Originally we planned on taking my canoe, but when David Perry from Southeastern Fly asked if we were interested in floating with him, we both thought that would be a good idea. This turned out to be perfect since David knows the river so well. He showed us a couple of tricks he has for days that seem slower at first, and it made all the difference.

We planned on meeting early. I was actually on time for a change, and we were ready to float by around 6:45 or 7:00. The first hundred yards of the float was spent just trying to navigate through the maze of other river users. Once we got out in front of everyone though the fishing immediately improved. Nathan and I started out fishing, and soon we were both catching fish. The midge hatch produce some excellent fishing on a dry/dropper rig. I wanted to catch some larger fish and eventually couldn't resist the call of the streamer rod.

Within just a few casts with a Stacked Blond, I had a little 10 inch brown on and thought it might turn out to be a good streamer day! Unfortunately the quick success soon turned into lots of follows and flashes but few strikes. Still, I was turning fish and some nice ones at that so I was a little reluctant to stop throwing big streamers for big fish.

We continued down the river and things really slowed down as the sun hit the water. The hordes of canoes coming down the river weren't helping either although most people were being polite. The glaring exception was a boat that motored by within 6 feet or so between the drift boat and the bank that was probably no more than 30 feet away at this point and probably much less. This was while I was working the streamer rod to said bank, and it was all I could do to restrain from blasting one of them in the head with a big streamer. Some people are just not very intelligent.

The dry spell continued for a good distance down the river, largely due to the fact that we were spending a lot of time experimenting. Finally, David went to his bag of tricks and showed us his favorite method of fishing the Caney when it is tough. Immediately we started catching fish and within 10 minutes, I nailed a nice 18 inch brown. That fish made my day, and I was ready to relax for awhile so I took over the oars. Rowing on low water is not a difficult job at all...

Nathan Stanaway photo

Nathan Stanaway photo

David nailed several good fish including browns up to 17 inches. Nathan took over camera duties for awhile and we got some nice pictures of all the fish. When we were about a half a mile or mile above the takeout, Nathan took over in the front and proceeded to catch his own nice 16 inch brown.

The river is slowly coming back although it has a long ways to go before it gets anywhere as good as it used to be. The numbers of fish are still not particularly good and the heavy boat traffic does not help. There are definitely fish to be caught though and even some very nice ones. I'll be looking forward to the opportunity to fish the Caney again, hopefully in the next week or two.

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Guide Trips

I am currently booking trips for guided catch and release fly fishing trips in the Great Smoky Mountains and on the Caney Fork and Clinch rivers for the winter and spring 2019 seasons. This time of year I'm usually a bit more flexible than usual. If you get a last minute urge to fish, holler at me! If you are interested in a guided trip with me or guide Travis Williams, please visit my guide site, Trout Zone Anglers, call or text (931) 261-1884, or email me at troutzoneanglers@gmail.com.

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About Me

David Knapp Photography

The Trout Zone

All about fly fishing! I consider the mountain streams of East Tennessee, especially those in the Great Smoky Mountains as my home waters. I spent some time living in Arizona and Colorado and have travelled extensively out west. As implied in the name of this blog, I prefer trout over all other game fish but am not opposed to catching other species from time to time including bass and other warm water species.

This blog is simply my attempt to relive some of my favorite moments on the water and share my enthusiasm for fly fishing with other people. As an avid angler and guide, sharing is one of the most enjoyable parts of the sport, and I hope you enjoy the Trout Zone!

Caney Brown

All pictures here on the Trout Zone are the property of me the author, David Knapp, unless otherwise specified. If you wish to use any of my photography please contact me by email for permission and details on my expectations.